Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ, Beatified

Father Rutilio Grande, SJ, of El Salvador was beatified on Saturday, January 22, in San Salvador along with his lay companions Manuel Solorzano and Nelson Rutilio Lemus Chávez and Franciscan Fr. Cosme Spessotto. All four were victims of murder at the hands of death squads during years of terror in El Salvador, martyrs for faith and justice.

Father Grande and his companions died on March 12, 1977. They were shot down on their way to Mass by gunmen acting for the government.

In a video message, Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, said, “Father Rutilio Grande knew how to be a counselor, an understanding and kind companion, and at the same time firm and serious about the Christian life and the responsible exercise of the priestly ministry. The peasant population, of which he himself was a part and which he served with dedication in his pastoral service, found in him a close, self-sacrificing and loving priest to share life with the community of the followers of Jesus who witnessed the good news.”

Father Grande was born on March 5, 1928, entered the Society in 1945, and was ordained in 1959. He was the first priest killed in El Salvador’s civil war. His murder had an enormous impact on St. Óscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador at the time, who became increasingly outspoken about the war. Saint Romero was also eventually martyred

Pope Francis Converses with University Students across the Americas

On February 24, Loyola University Chicago welcomed Pope Francis for a historic conversation on the synodal process with young people from North, Central, and South America. At the event, called Building Bridges: A Synodal Encounter Between Pope Francis and University Students, the pope engaged in a direct dialogue with 100 students from Jesuit, Catholic, and secular universities. The university students shared concrete educational projects that seek to justly transform environmental and economic realities. Additionally, the students spoke of the manifold ways their educational commitments can contribute to integrate and empower existential peripheries.

Hosted by Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies, department of theology, and the Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the conversation was led by the head of office of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Dr. Emilce Cuda, who Loyola reached out to in June 2021. Per the university’s suggestion, Dr. Cuda invited Pope Francis to personally participate in this dialogue. Upon accepting the invitation, Pope Francis said, “Dear brothers and sisters, may this Synod be a true season of the Spirit! For we need the Spirit, the ever-new breath of God, who sets us free from every form of selfabsorption, revives what is moribund, loosens shackles, and spreads joy.”

Chicago Jesuit Academy Expands to Serve Girls

This year, Chicago Jesuit Academy (CJA) will break ground on a 50,000-square-foot addition that will enable the school to enroll their first classes of girls in third and fourth grade for the 2023–2024 school year. The following school year, CJA will add a fifth-grade classroom and then continue to add one grade per year until the 2027–2028 school year, when the school will be able to serve girls in third through eighth grade.

This expansion is possible because of the remarkable support of neighbors, families, and Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, as well as many donors and several community partners who are choosing to invest in the community by supporting the building construction and scholarships for students.

When CJA was founded in 2005, the school was based on a model of Nativity schools throughout the country, all of which were single-sex schools at the time. Upon discussing this model with families in the community, there was unanimous agreement that the school should serve boys, who were perceived to be at greater risk.

Over the years, current and prospective families have consistently shared that one of the biggest obstacles to enrollment is the fact that their daughters cannot attend CJA along with their sons. Navigating two school systems is often not feasible. The expansion will remove this barrier and allow CJA to begin serving many talented girls on the West Side of Chicago.

University of Detroit Mercy Names New President

University of Detroit Mercy’s Board of Trustees announced that Donald Taylor, Ph.D., has been named as the university’s 26th president. Succeeding Antoine Garibaldi, Ph.D., Dr. Taylor will assume the role in July.

Michael McNamara, chairperson of the board of trustees, said in the announcement “On behalf of the entire Detroit Mercy community, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Taylor to our university and look forward to his leadership as we build on the momentum of the past decade and set new goals for the institution. Dr. Taylor’s accomplishments and extraordinary experience demonstrate a commitment to excellence that fits well with Detroit Mercy’s vision and mission, and we are confident that he will help the University achieve an even brighter future.”

Dr. Taylor brings nearly three decades of higher education leadership in the areas of program development, accreditation, alumni relations, community partnership development, fundraising success, commitment to adult/post-traditional students, and global and online education, following decades as a researcher and educator at Catholic institutions.

Taylor joins Detroit Mercy at an exceptional time in the university’s history. In 2022, the university was again ranked among the top 200 national universities by U.S. News & World Report for a third year in a row. Detroit Mercy is the highest ranked private university in Michigan and one of four in the state to be included in the national universities category.